


The Book of Nathan

by Dani



Category: Kings (TV 2009)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:24:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5471276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dani/pseuds/Dani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Jack seeks asylum and a new place in the world, a new prophet rises to help bring David's story to its rightful conclusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Book of Nathan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noharlembeat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noharlembeat/gifts).



 

            Jack had never been a heavy sleeper until he was locked away. There were always too many things weighing on his mind: how much was he allowed to sleep before making a subtle, or not so subtle, escape from whatever bed he was currently occupying. How to keep his secrets buried. How to stay the good and noble prince in his father's eyes.

            There was one thing about confinement and disgrace that he could really appreciate. Since all his sins were laid out for the entire world to see, he didn't really have to worry anymore. Admittedly, the constant spectre of death was a little troubling (particularly since they removed Lucinda from their confinement a month ago), but overall Jack couldn't help but feel like an incredible weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had accepted who he was, he had accepted his mistakes, and he had resigned himself to his inevitable doom. These past few months had been the best sleep of his life.

            Which is likely why he didn't hear the door open in his room at three in the morning, something that just a year ago would have sent him flying from the bed in an instant. He didn't register footsteps padding across the carpet, hands groping out to grab hold on anything to orient the intruder to the space, which would have had to happen, given that the room was far too dark for human eyes to navigate easily.

            The first inkling Jack had that there was someone else in the room with him, was when he was jostled awake suddenly and a small hand clasped over his mouth to muffle his surprised shout.

            "Sh!" She said quickly, casting a furtive glance at the door.

            "Lucinda?" Jack squinted through the darkness, the sliver of the moon through a gap in the window curtains providing just enough light for him to see the outline of Lucinda's pale form in the gloom of his prison. "What are you doing here? They took you away."

            As much as Jack had accepted his own looming death, he couldn't help the frisson of fear that went up his spine at her return. Their months together had caused him to develop a fondness for the dark haired girl, and they had even slept together for comfort and companionship – but by mutual agreement, had refused to actually have sex. Jack had hoped his father had simply given up this avenue of torture and sent Lucinda home.

            "I'm free now, so I came to get you out," Lucinda whispered, with another quick glance in the direction of the hallway. "The guard rotation is off tonight, so we have about ten minutes for you to pack some clothes and get to the main hall."

            Without another word, Jack jumped up from his bed and ran to the closet across the room. He didn't bother changing out of his dark sleep pants and black T-shirt. They served as decent camouflage, all things considered, and they allowed for a lot more freedom of movement than most of his other clothes. He pulled things from hangers without actually looking at them before shoving everything into an old gym bag he found sitting on the floor of the closet. Lastly, he went to the bookshelf and pulled out an old book of fairy tales, threw it on top of everything else, and zipped up the bag. The book was where he and Lucinda had hidden all the cash they had on them at the beginning of their confinement, in case they ever had a chance to escape.

            Packing took scant minutes, and then he joined her at the door.

            With a nod, Lucinda took his hand and led him through the door into the dark hallway. If Jack had thought that his bedroom was dark, this was considerably worse.

            "Why are the lights out?" He whispered as softly as he could. The light from the hall streaming in under the door had been one of his few major irritants in their early confinement. They had ended up blocking it with towels until Lucinda was taken away. Jack hadn't bothered since. It seemed so minor in the grand scheme of things.

            Tonight though, all the lights were out in the whole palace. There wasn't even much ambient light from the city streaming in. Lucinda squeezed his hand lightly, spurring him to keep his pace quick. "There's a blackout. The whole city has gone out," she whispered back without slowing her step. "That's why the guard rotation is off."

            Lucinda walked with complete confidence, despite the darkness. They never put one single step out of place, tripping into hall tables or knocking into vases. Jack didn't think Michelle could have done better, and she had spent her whole life wandering these halls.

            Soon, they were outside. The moon was a bit more vibrant here but it was still muted, giving everything an eerie glow. It would be easy to lose track of their surroundings if they weren't careful, but no one from the palace was likely to be able to make them out from a distance either.

            "We should take a horse," Lucinda said suddenly, tugging his hand in the direction of the stables. She was still talking quietly, but not with the same whispered urgency as before.

            "No," Jack stopped suddenly. "What do you think this is? A western? We're not going to be facing off at the O-K Corral! Besides, I hate riding."

            Lucinda turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised. "But you know how."

            "Of course I know how," Jack snapped back. "I hate to do it though. We can get out some other way." Horseback riding always gave him the creeps. Michelle loved it, though.

            "We won't cover enough ground on foot, and cars are too conspicuous and easy to trace. Furthermore, the city is mostly gridlock at the moment. We won't be getting far that way." She nodded towards the stables again. "Horses can travel through the woods without having to rely on roadways...also, your parents know that you hate them, so it'll take them a while to figure out how we escaped." Without even waiting for a reply, Lucinda started towards the stables again.

            Seeing little other choice, Jack followed along.

 

            It wasn't until they'd found their way to David's camp that Jack started to actively question his sanity. He had noticed something was off during their escape attempt. How Lucinda just happened to know the way as well as someone who had lived at the palace their whole life. How she didn't bother to carry any clothes or supplies with her but had insisted that Jack pack. These things had just flitted through Jack's mind before being buried under more urgent matters.

            When they arrived at the camp, Lucinda turned to give Jack a peck on the cheek and whispered, "You may not want to mention me," before sliding off their shared horse.

            Jack was about to ask why, but stopped as he was encircled by soldiers with guns aimed squarely at his chest. As he slowly raised his hands in surrender, he kept his eyes locked on Lucinda as she moved seamlessly between the soldiers and made her way out of the circle. Not a single one of them even glanced her way.

 

            "I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" Jack asked casually, not looking up from the bag strap that he was passing back and forth between his fingers. He hoped sincerely that those guards weren't usually in charge of security, because leaving a prisoner alone in what looked to be a command tent with his bag was just stupid. Even having guards patrolling the exterior wouldn't help if he wanted to plan an ambush...as it was, he was just sitting and fidgeting.

            Lucinda shrugged slightly from where she was seated across the table from him. Her eyes glanced over the maps that filled the space between them. She'd been in the room when he arrived and, once again, was completely ignored by everyone except him. After giving the question some consideration, she simply said, "I think it depends on your point of view.”

            Rolling his eyes, Jack dropped the strap and leaned back, stretching his forearms behind his head. "Well, thank you, Obi-wan Kenobi, but I don't see how many point of views there could be. Either I'm crazy, or I'm not."

            Nodding along with Jack's words, Lucinda shrugged simply. She didn't seem at all bothered by their situation. "I do know that you're not crazy....if that helps."

            "Thank you, Lucinda," Jack huffed. "The fact that my hallucination doesn't think I'm crazy is really helpful right now." He still couldn't help the twitch of his lips into a brief, fond smile, which he promptly thereafter quashed to resume the put-upon posture that he'd had since he was taken into custody. "I mean, we don't even really know where we are. You said we were going to David's camp, but I have no idea where that is, so presumably neither do you. For all we know, we could have been taken by Gath terrorists and they’re negotiating my return as we speak. I could be back in my ‘cell’ by nightfall, or even worse, in my father's secret prison with Abaddon." Jack pushed himself out of his chair and started pacing around the space, feeling angrier at himself by the moment. He never should have followed blindly.

            Staying seated, Lucinda leaned back in her chair. "This is David's camp, and you are not going back to a cell."

            "How do you know?" he demanded, agitation starting to bleed into his movements. "How do you know anything?"

            "I just do." She remained completely unfazed in the face of his anger, but that wasn't surprising considering how many fits of rage she had witnessed during their confinement. It was probably old hat to her now. "You need to learn to trust me."

            "How can I possibly trust you?" He was a prince, after all. He didn't trust anyone.

            Lucinda just smiled serenely. "Because I love you, and I just want what's best for you."

            Jack collapsed back into his chair, resigned to the end of that argument...because really, what could he say to that?

 

            Then sun was starting to rise against the tent canvas, casting orange light across every surface and giving it a warm glow. Jack breathed in the atmosphere, almost feeling hopeful in its peace. He could almost fall asleep here, slouched in a chair with his head tipped backed and bathed in the warm, early autumn morning. He let his eyes droop shut and allowed his mind to wander.

            As the tent flap was cast aside and a flurry of movement invaded the tent only to stop dead at the door, Jack's eyes snapped open and he quickly rolled forward onto his feet, cursing his own stupidity for ever letting himself relax. In doing so, he found himself less than a foot away from his erstwhile rival.

            Before he could even register the movements, David's arms were around Jack pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank God," he whispered. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

            Jack stood completely still with his arms frozen half-raised at his sides. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this. "Um...I—"

            David pulled back and stared a moment longer before turning away in an effort to regain his usual composure. "It's good to see you," he finished finally, released his hold completely.

            Taking a moment to get his thoughts together, Jack asked. "You were expecting me?" He couldn't help but feel incredulous. There was no way David could have known what had happened.

            Shaking his head, David walked past Jack to the table and pulled out one of the maps the bottom of the pile. "We caused the blackout tonight so that we could get people established in the tunnels under Shiloh." Pointing at faded lines under the street map, David beckoned Jack to take a closer look. "I wasn't sure if you would be able to use it to get out, but I prayed that you could do it somehow. I didn't know where they were holding you or I would have come for you myself."

            Rolling his eyes, Jack shrank back into his chair. "Relax, Boy Scout. I held no illusions that anyone was coming to save me, so there's no harm done." Taking a deep breath, Jack asked the question that had been eating away at the edges of his mind since he got out of that room back at the palace. "Is Michelle here?"

            David’s facade of composure cracked again for a moment before smoothing over back into his usual, bland expression. "No," he said calmly. "We couldn't find her, either." His voice seemed to crack on the last word, though he covered it well.

            "Alright," Jack said, nodding. He knew it was a long shot before he even asked, so why was it so hard to swallow? "Okay," he repeated, trying to get them back on track. "So you took the tunnels?"

            "Yeah. We have half the army down there rein—"

            David was cut off by the sweep of the tent’s entrance and someone else pushing his way in, who Jack soon recognized to be David's brother. "David, stop!" he hissed as he shoved himself between Jack and David. “You can't tell him that! Give him half a chance, he'll run back to Daddy with our plan in exchange for his freedom."

            "Ethan," David said sternly, "he is just as much a victim of Silas' tyranny as the rest of us."

            "Yeah, I'm sure the Prince knows a lot about suffering," Ethan sneered. "Who you choose to trust with _your_ life is up to you, but this is bigger than you, David. It’s about all of us. You can’t breathe a word to him without the consent of everyone in this with you. Not until he's proven himself."

            "And what'll that take, exactly, Ethan?" Jack groaned with a roll of his eyes. After all he’d been through up to this point, his already low tolerance for other people’s bullshit was wearing very thin. "What? You want me to swear my eternal allegiance? Beg on my hands and knees for the right to join your little band? Blow the commander?"

            "Nah. Just kiss his feet." A shit-eating grin spread across Ethan’s face. Something in Jack snapped. It was only David grabbing him and pinning his arms against his sides that kept him from punching Ethan and not stopping. "You fucking rotten asshole!!" he growled as he jerked, twisted and fought against David's hold.

            "Ethan, call a meeting. We'll decide as a group," David barely managed to get out while he struggled with Jack. "Now, get out."

           Once Ethan was out of sight, David had to keep his hold on Jack for a while longer as he continued to struggle in the direction of the tent’s doorway. "He shouldn't have said that, Jack. I'm sorry about him. He shouldn't have said that. Jack?"

            Through the combination of David’s solid hold on him and the soothing tone of his voice, Jack soon felt the fight drain out of him. He stopped trying to break out of David's arms. After taking a further moment to compose himself, he finally exhaled, "I'm fine. Sorry."

            Cautiously, David let go. "Look, we'll just talk to the camp and explain your experience. I'm sure they'll let you join. Just be your usual… _charming_ self."

            Jack noted the emphasis David put on charming. "Yeah. I can be him."

            "Alright, I'll talk to them for a few minutes and then someone will bring you to present your case."

 

            That's how Jack ended up standing in front of a hundred people, only a handful of which weren't showering him with looks of utmost hatred. It's pretty hard to be charming when your audience is refusing to participate. What was he even supposed to say?

            "Hi," was his opening. He hoped that more words would follow, but his brain refused to co-operate. An awkward pause stretched afterward, as only the words 'God, I need help,' would come to mind. Cringing internally at the thought, he did briefly consider saying it aloud too.

            "Don't turn around," a deep voice rumbled beside his ear, causing him to start ever so slightly. He looked out over the audience, but couldn’t tell whether the confusion he could see on assorted faces was over his sudden twitch or his continued silence.

The voice was one he would know anywhere. A voice which last told him that God didn't want him. "Tell them about Silas," it told him.

            And so he did. "…You all know that Silas is my father...or, if you didn't, I think you might be in the wrong meeting." Clearing his throat against the silence in front of him, Jack forced himself to continue. "And that makes some of you think that I'm not one of you, that I can't be trusted."

            Taking a breath, Jack scanned the crowd. "And you're right. I'm not one of you. I grew up in a palace. I had my every wish and whim granted for as long as I can remember. I was walked across stages and brought into back room meetings. And through it all, I learned what tyranny truly is.” He pointed off in the direction of the palace. “My father is a cancer on this kingdom,” he told them. “He needs to be cut away before we can prosper and you can believe me when I say… I would give up all my privilege to further this goal."

            "Right, so you can be King?" someone sneered just to the left of him.

            A sarcastic quip was at the tip of his tongue but was held at bay by the words being whispered in his ear. "They need to know that you're being sincere," the voice told him.

            "No," Jack said without a thought. "So David can."

            That prompted a reaction. It was just this side of surprised. People were whispering between themselves and from where Jack was standing it sounded like a swarm of bees. David was burying his face in his hands and trying to sink into the floor.

            "David is God's chosen,” said Jack with an honest shrug. “And I will do everything in my power to see that he gains his rightful crown."

            There was a smile in Samuels' voice as he said, "Good. That's good!"

            "Right, like you know or care what God wants." This was Ethan finally speaking up from among the crowd.

            Jack looked him dead in the eye and answered, "I know it's not me."

            "Oh, and how's that?"

            "Because He told you." Was the whispered answer.

            "Because He told me. He told me on the day of my coronation that I wasn't meant to be King, and I think we all know what happened after that."

            "Yeah, you still tried to go through with it."

            "I said God told me, I didn't say I listened." Jack smiled as a couple people laughed that time. "Even then, I knew that Silas shouldn't be King. He had gone too far, caused too much damage. I couldn't turn the other cheek anymore. I went about it the wrong way and I looked for support in the wrong places, but even then I knew that the cause was just. Silas locked me in solitary confinement for months because of my mistake, but it gave me time for reflection and to realize the truth."

            "And what's that?"

            "That God has abandoned my father, God has abandoned our line, and…with good reason. It's time for us to let go." Jack stretched out his arms. "You don't have to believe me, but at least give me a chance to prove myself. I can help your cause better than anyone alive. I know more state secrets than most of you know nursery rhymes. I know the secret entrances and exits to the palace. I am on a first name basis with the entire security force, and lastly, I know my father well enough to know his weaknesses. Face it: I am, at the very least, far too valuable a commodity to completely dismiss."

            "And we're just supposed to ignore all the shitty things you've done?" Ethan again. Leave it to Ethan to try to drown him.

            Jack looked Ethan in the eye. "No. But you can let me take responsibility for them and you can give me the chance to make things right." His eyes shifted from Ethan to his brother. "Give me time, and I'll earn your forgiveness."

            Nodding, David stepped forward to join Jack in front of the group. "We've all made mistakes. We all have things we feel we have to make up for. If perfection was a requirement for membership here, nobody would have joined and we would still be hopeless and under Silas' thumb. It's a person's choices that define his or her character. Jack didn't get a choice in his birth. He didn't choose to be Silas' son. What he did choose was to save my life from execution. He chose to stand up against his father and turn his back on everything he knew. I could only hope that we would all be prepared to sacrifice so much for one another."

            The applause was a bit of a surprise, but Jack figured that was better than the alternative.

 

            David was unusually quiet as he showed Jack around camp, even for him. They talked a bit about the plan. The tunnels were a good idea: they had been there since before Shiloh was built and most people either never knew about them or had long since forgotten about them. They could pop up anywhere in the city with the use of those.

            Jack couldn't help but keep glancing over at David, trying to put his finger on what was different. He used to be pretty good at reading people, but it was always figuring out what they wanted from him rather than reading them for their own sake. From the moment they met, Jack had never been able to read David worth a damn and time spent together hadn't improved the situation.

            Right now though, Jack could tell something was not right. David was quieter than usual, even for him. He was hunched over a bit, closed in on himself. A big contrast from his typical open and approachable air, it was almost chilling to be shut out like this.

            Having never really had to ask about someone's feelings, Jack really didn't know how to broach the topic. Instead he ignored it and followed along quietly, learning the camp layout.

            Finally they came to a stop in front of one tent set in a line of identical ones along the edge of the camp. David started fiddling with the tent ties and kept his eyes down, not looking in Jack's direction at all. "So, I was thinking that you could bunk with me," David ventured cautiously.

            "Really?" Jack blurted out in surprise before his mind caught up with his mouth. He couldn’t say that was a phrase he’d have ever expected to hear out of David’s mouth, regardless of context.

            Looking startled and vaguely apologetic, David turned to face Jack, "U-unless you aren't comfortable sharing with me," he stammered, backpedaling quickly. "I mean, I'm sure we can move things around and you could bunk with someone else."

            "No, no," Jack countered quickly. The awkwardness in this situation was catching. "I just didn't think that you would want to bunk with me."

            David looked blank but curious, as though waiting for Jack to offer more information.

            "You know, because I'm...well..."

            If anything David looked more confused, nodding at Jack to continue.

            "Well, I'm gay." The words felt strange in his mouth and Jack couldn't help but wonder if this was the first time he'd ever said them out loud. He certainly couldn't remember another occasion off the top of his head. This thought was followed by the rather comfortable realization that he could say it now without having to worry about it ruining his life.

            The cloud of confusion lifted from David's face, "Oh, that."

`           "Yeah, that." Jack waited for David's reaction, not sure what he was expecting.

            David shook his head. "Jack, I don't care that you're gay. That doesn't change anything between us." He was doing that sincerity thing again; the one that made Michelle weak in the knees and made Jack's stomach flutter. Who knew that earnestness would be such a turn-on?

            "Alright, then." Feeling a bit flush, Jack pushed past David and threw his bag on the unused bunk. While unpacking, he carefully stepped over Lucinda who had made herself at home on the floor, reclining with her back against his bed.

            David followed, sitting on his own cot and watching Jack get settled on the other side of the space. From the corner of his eye, Jack could see David opening his mouth to say something only to close it and start fidgeting with his blanket.

            After ignoring it a couple times, Jack finished packing away his things and sat heavily on his own bed facing David. "Okay, out with it," he said brusquely.

            Staring wide-eyed, David was doing a remarkable impression of a rabbit in headlights. It was funny to think that this was the same man who stood between two warring armies with nothing but a sheet in his hands and hope. "What?"

            Jack waved vaguely in David's direction. "Whatever this is, whatever you've been struggling not to say since I got here, whatever had you thinking that I would be more comfortable bunking with a complete stranger than you. Whatever it is, just tell me so that I can tell you it's fine and we can both get on with our lives." Jack really didn't have the patience for whatever imagined slight was weighing on David's conscience.

            After a long moment, David's expression crumbled. "It's my fault." His voice cracked on the last word and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I put Silas back in power. It's my fault that you were arrested, and that Michelle was exiled. If I had just stayed out of it, none of us would be in this mess now."

            Maybe it was just the day catching up to him, but Jack only just managed to keep from laughing and he probably only managed it because Lucinda squeezed Jack's ankle and whispered 'Don't you dare'. As it was, Jack took a deep breath and tried not to sound too condescending. "David, you really aren't that important."

            David looked ready to argue, but Jack kept talking. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're important to the big guy upstairs and I honestly think that you're going to be king someday... but what happened at court? There were whole levels of intrigue that you didn't even know existed. Not saying that you didn't have an impact, but it was kind of like an elephant in a china shop. Generally well-intentioned, but crashing into everything around him."

            Now David was starting to look insulted.

            "Look, the point is, I knew what I was doing. So did Michelle, and so did everyone at court. We all knew what the consequences were and we made our choices. You are not responsible for any of us, and I don't blame you any more than I would blame the elephant, so don't beat yourself up over it.

            "Jack, I'm not a child. Ignorance of consequence does not cancel culpability," David said in that infernally patient way of his.

            Jack shrugged. "Alright. Keep beating yourself up if it'll make you feel better, but don't drag me into your guilt. I've got more than enough of my own to deal with."

            Whatever arguments David had on the tip of his tongue were effectively quashed, but he started averting his eyes again and gathering his guilt around him like a cloak.

            "David, look—" Jack started without thinking and stopped when he realized what he'd been about to reveal.

            David looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

            Steeling himself, Jack decided to continue. "When I escaped, my first and only thought was to get to you."

            "Yeah," David nodded. "You wanted to join the rebellion,"

            Jack shook his head. "I didn't even know about the rebellion. I didn't know that you were moving against Silas. I wanted to get to you because in my whole life, the only time I’ve ever felt safe was with you. You are literally the only person in the world that I trust because even when you do stupid dumbass things, I know you're doing them for the right reasons. It's an oddly refreshing sentiment in my life."

            He gave David a moment to let the words sink it before he finished. "So, feel bad if you want, definitely learn from your mistakes… but don't let your fears of making mistakes stop you from doing the right thing. Don't let politics make you into one of us."

 

            "You did good with him, you know," Samuels said from his spot on David's bed.

            David had excused himself after they chatted for a while to go finish up some things, though Jack could read between the lines and knew David wanted him to get some sleep undisturbed. He did try to rest. It was just really hard with a room full of people that wouldn't leave him alone.

            Jack didn't bother to sit up, but he did look over. Samuels was perched on the other cot. Lucinda was on the floor cutting out pictures. Since Jack wasn't entirely sure if the pictures had come out of his hallucination or if there were actual real pictures in the tent with him that had somehow been incorporated into the illusion, he just decided to ignore the whole thing and leave Lucinda to her cutting. "Hmm?" He sent in Samuels’ direction, closing his eyes again and refused to dwell on the fact that Samuels was staring at him.

            "David. He's been holding on to that guilt for a long time. It's been stopping him from being the man we need him to be." Samuels always sounded so serious. "You helped him with it: that's more than anyone else here has been able to do."

            Opening his eyes again, Jack rolled onto his side to face the preacher. "Why are you here anyway? I could understand Lucinda being here, but I mean, you and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms, what with you telling me that God hates me and all."

            Samuels looked grave. "I should never have told you that. I was angry at myself and I took it out on you. There is nothing that God won't forgive and He loves you dearly. I want you to know that."

            "Oh yeah?" Jack just felt tired. He had spent his whole life desperately trying to win his father's love, and that had never worked out for him either. "If He loves me so 'dearly', why didn't he ever talk to me?"

            That brought a half-smile to Samuels' lips. "Did you ever listen?"

            "Desperately," Jack breathed, flopping onto his back again so he wouldn't have to look at the preacher.

            "Your problem, Jack, is you only ever listened to what you wanted to hear. You wanted God to say that you would be king, and refused to hear anything else...as such, you heard nothing." Samuels sighed. "God has a great plan for you, Jack, but he had to move mountains before he could get you to listen to a word he said."

            "Uh-huh." Jack closed his eyes again, trying to feign impending sleep. "And what exactly is this plan?"

            Samuels took a long time to answer. Resigned in the end, he said, "You'll know. When you're ready."

            "Yeah, thanks a lot," Jack scoffed. Turning his back on his 'friends', he finally fell into a light sleep.

 

            When he awoke again, Samuels was gone. He didn't know what time it was, but figured it was safe to assume the middle of the night. There wasn't any quiet conversation happening in the camp that he could hear, and David was snoring lightly across the small expanse from him. Really, it didn't matter how long he’d slept: he didn’t feel at all rested regardless.

            Lucinda was still sitting on the floor, but the pictures she had been cutting had disappeared completely and now she was just staring off into space.

            "Hey, Lu?" Jack asked drowsily, reaching out to take her hand.

            With a small smile, she offered it up to him. "Hey, Jack."

            "Can I ask you something?" He was just on the edge of sleep, like he could fall back at any moment, but was also too anxious for it to actually be restful.

            Nodding, Lucinda turned so she was fully facing him - her back now leaning against David's cot.

            "Why am I hallucinating you?" He whispered, holding her hand like a lifeline. "Not that I mind, it's just that I would have thought my mind would have conjured up...someone else." He finished softly, with a hint of apology in his tone.

            "Maybe we just figured that I was the best bet to get you to David's camp without issue," she answered just as quietly, as though she didn't want to disturb David's rest. "I mean, after all, if Joseph had shown up in your room at three in the morning, you probably wouldn't have come nearly as quickly—" Suddenly, Lucinda choked back a laugh. "I mean, you wouldn't have... honestly, you probably would have come considerably quicker if Joseph was there." She flashed Jack a wicked grin.

            Jack shared her smile for a moment, enjoying her laughter even if it did break his heart a little.

            "I'm sorry," Lucinda said, as though reading his mind. The mood turned pensive again as she finished. "What I mean is...you might have panicked if you saw someone you weren't expecting and we needed to get you out of there as quickly as possible."

            Nodding, Jack squeezed her hand in reassurance that he wasn't upset with her. "...Could I see him now?"

            Lucinda stilled completely, surprised by his request. "Jack..." She started, searching his face for any clue as to his frame of mind. "It wouldn't be him. Not really. You know that."

            "I know," Jack could feel the tightening in his throat as he fought to keep a sob from escaping. "I just... I never got to say goodbye."

            He could see the shine of tears starting to form in Lucinda's eyes. She nodded and stood, letting his hand slip from hers. "Okay," she said simply, moving soundlessly out of the tent.

            In a moment, it seemed as though Jack had only blinked and there was Joseph, filling Lucinda’s spot on the floor leaning up against David's bed. "Hi Jack," he said quietly. It was the voice that still haunted Jack's dreams.

            "Joseph," he sobbed, clutching the other man's wrist and pulling him close.

            Joseph stroked his hair while Jack cried into his sweater.

"I'm sorry," he choked out whenever he could find the air. "I'm so sorry."

 

            Jack wasn't entirely sure which one had thought of it, but someone in his invisible entourage had come up with the idea. It was probably Samuels honestly, because Jack couldn't imagine Lucinda or Joseph thinking it up. Everyone agreed so quickly that he really couldn't say for sure.

            There was a bunker from the first war not far from David's camp. The communications tech in it was about thirty years out of date, but it was top of the line in its day and it was probably still functional.

            As far as Jack was aware, no one had even bothered to go back to the bunker once they'd won. Shiloh was a much better base of operations. It was so old as to be unguarded and so obsolete that the channels it used wouldn't be checked.

            There were also guns. Old guns, but a bullet is a bullet and David's “army” was in dire need of extra firepower.

            When he'd brought up the idea, the camp as a whole voted that he should go alone, secure the bunker and then radio back when it was safe for backup to come. All things considered, Jack thought that was a really stupid plan. If he was working for the enemy, he could have simply lured them all into a trap. The argument they used was that one person in the woods would draw less attention, not that no one trusted him.

            David really did trust him, though, and refused to let him go entirely alone. So here they were, walking in complete silence through the forest. Both of them were keeping their attention focused on their surroundings, in case they were wrong about the bunker being forgotten. Jack's attention kept wandering though, because Samuels kept talking to him.

            Jack had been to the bunker once when he was a child. It was long before Shiloh had been built, long before his mother had created their dynasty. He was depending on a hope and a prayer to get them there because he only had the vaguest memory of where it was located.

            Samuels, on the other hand, was walking confidently through the forest. He had the composure of a man who had made this trip hundreds of times before...which, if he actually was Samuels, would likely have been true.

            "I used to live here, you know," he said conversationally, seeming to almost be enjoying his walk in the woods.

            Jack didn't say anything because he really didn't want David to think he was crazy at this juncture. He just waited for Samuels to continue.

            "Remember when your mother talked about how this territory was comprised of warring clans back before Silas imposed order?" He asked wryly. "Well, my family was part of that...I was a prince of sorts myself."

            That caught Jack's attention. He only barely managed to stop himself from asking 'really?' Thankfully, Lucinda did it for him.

            "Really?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

            Samuels smiled at her. "My people didn't have Kings. We had Judges. They settled disputes, made laws, that sort of thing. Now, my mother's name was Hannah and when I was a baby she gave me to the Judge Eli to raise. I always wondered why she did that. I thought maybe Eli might have been my father, but I never really found out the truth. He raised me in his household though, equal to his legitimate sons. He was a man truly blessed by God, and I was his favourite son."

            "So what happened?" This time it was Joseph asking, everyone was getting involved in this story, with the exception of David, who had no idea it was even happening.

            "Silas happened," Samuels answered, throwing a look in Jack's direction. "I met him and I knew that he would be King, and I had to help him get there. I left my home, my people, and I followed Silas into the wilderness." Samuels jumped over the creek with a skip in his step.

            Lucinda's cheek dimpled when she smiled. "So, you were Prince Ephram?"

            Chuckling, Samuels shook his head. "Prince Samuel, actually. I came from a better background than Silas. I knew that people would always assume I was trying to gain the throne for myself if they knew my name, so when I chose to become a prophet for the Lord, I left my old self behind and I changed my name."

            "Is that a requirement for becoming a prophet?" Joseph joked, but nonetheless seemed to be waiting for an answer.

            Samuels smirked in Joseph direction. "Not a requirement, but it helps." He threw a last look in Jack's direction before pointing out the entrance to the bunker.

            Jack nodded to David. "Told you I'd be able to find it." Jack smirked, opening the bunker and ushering David in first.

           

 

            Jack traced his fingers across Joseph's back as they lay twisted together on his small cot. "Why is this happening to me?" He whispered into Joseph's hair. "Why am I seeing things?"

            Nuzzling into Jack's shoulder, Joseph muttered. "You know why."

            "No, I really don't." Jack turned his eyes down to look at Joseph's face. It was relaxed, but not sleepy. He looked more peaceful than Jack had ever seen him.

            Joseph gave him a small smile while letting his eyes slip blissfully shut. "When you're ready, you'll know."

            Deciding to let it go, Jack let his mind wander to another topic that had been weighing on it. "You know, it's funny...everyone knows me as Prince Jack, but it's not my name."

            "Mm-hmm," Joseph murmured. "It's Jonathan. I knew that."

            "Yeah, it's Jonathan...but that's not what people really think of at first, is it? They just think of me as Jack."

            "People do know that it's Jonathan, though, if they think about it."

            " I know. It's just...odd when you really sit back and think about it. Everyone knows me as Jack because that's the nickname my parents chose for me. On a whim it could have been Jon, or Jonny...or hell, it could have been Nathan."

            Joseph nodded for Jack to continue.

            "But maybe if I changed it...something like my name but a nickname, like Jack was."

            "Why would you do that?" Joseph asked curiously.

            Shrugging, Jack pulled Joseph closer. "Might be nice to have a fresh start...seemed to work for Samuels."

            Silence fell between them for a beat before Jack spoke again. "We move on Shiloh tomorrow. Will you be there?"

            Nodding against Jack's shoulder, Joseph pressed a kiss there. "I will be here as long as you want me here. As long as you need me here. If you move on Shiloh tomorrow, I will be with you every step of the way."

            "Thank you." Jack would never say it aloud, but he was glad he wouldn't be there alone.

 

            Jack pushed the pair of heavy doors out of his way. Doors he’d once thought would someday lead to his throne. He pushed that thought aside before it has a chance to fester.

            A quick glance around the meeting room showed that all his invisible friends were present in the wings and ready to step in at a moment's notice should he stumble. It was reassuring to see them because otherwise, he was completely alone. With him.

            "Father," Jack greeted. They had long since left the world where he still called that man 'Dad', but to call him Silas would sever the last thread which bound them together, and Jack just couldn't bring himself to do it.

            "Ah, the traitor Prince." Silas said with bitter amusement. "Come to beg my forgiveness? Again?" Silas cast a quick gesture around the room. "As you can see, your mother isn't here to save you this time."

            Jack refused to rise to the bait. A quick glance at Lucinda and then Joseph helped him let his anger dissipate before it had a chance to consume him. "I'm here under a flag of truce to discuss terms."

            "Terms of your surrender?" Silas interrupted. "There will be no discussion. I will accept nothing less than full surrender, as well as the execution of you and that other would-be king."

            "We've taken the city, father." Jack struck back, wrestling control of the conversation out of his father's grasp. "We've taken it with less than a thousand men in our army."

            "Ridiculous," Silas scoffed.

            "It may be ridiculous, but it's no less true." Jack approached the table. "Isn't that how you became King? An underdog army and a crown of butterflies on your head?"

            "That was different," Silas sidestepped.

            "Why?" Jack pushed his advantage while he had it. Silas would only be off balance for so long. "What was so different about you pulling off the impossible and us doing the same?"

            "I had—" Silas' mouth snapped shut.

            "You had what? Samuels? Your prophet?" Jack laughed. "Dead now, at your hand." Samuels nodded in his periphery.

            Silas snarled, but refused to speak.

            "Your wife? The one who built your invincibility from the ground up only to be cast aside for your country bumpkin mistress and her bastard?" Jack used his words like knives, after all, he'd learned from the best. "Your—"

            "God!" Silas yelled. "I had God!"

            Jack grinned at that, a dark smile without a trace of warmth. "And now He's left you," he taunted.

            No one could blame Jack for reveling in the moment just a bit. He was only human, after all. Silas looked like he'd been stabbed through the heart.

"He left you for a better man. A man after His own heart."

            "What do you want?" Silas asked bitterly from his slumped position at the table.

            "We want the city. We want your complete surrender. If you give it to us now, we'll exile you and your family to the countryside where you can live out the rest of your days with only minor observation." That was David through and through; ever merciful, always hesitant to hurt others. "If you refuse… we'll besiege your tower until you have no choice but to surrender, at which time you'll be publicly executed for crimes against the state and David will take the throne anyway." That part was all Jack.

            "And you don't want the crown for yourself?" Silas took a last shot. "Time was, you would give your whole life, everything you were, to get that crown. Now you want to just hand it over to another 'country bumpkin' when it should rightfully be yours?"

            There was a time when Jack would have agreed with that. Now he just smiled serenely. "I don't want it anymore."

            "And why not? You are my heir, I could crown you myself. Today. You wouldn't need to take the tower because it would already be yours."

            "No," Jack answered simply. "I found something better."

            "Jack! What could you have possibly found that was better than all this?" Silas stood, gesturing widely at the cityscape behind him.

            With a quick exchange of confirming glances with Samuels, Jack turned and faced Silas again. "I found God," he told him.

He felt an incredible sense of peace wash over him. The kind of peace that came with knowing you were fulfilling your destiny.

"And you can call me Nathan."


End file.
